fabric

noun fab·ric \ ˈfa-brik \

|Updated on: 7 Aug 2018

Examples: fabric in a Sentence

Definition of fabric

1 a : structure, building

b : underlying structure : framework

the fabric of society

2 : an act of constructing : erection; specifically : the construction and maintenance of a church building

3 a : structural plan or style of construction

b : texture, quality —used chiefly of textiles

c : the arrangement of physical components (as of soil) in relation to each other

4 a : cloth 1a

b : a material that resembles cloth

5 : the appearance or pattern produced by the shapes and arrangement of the crystal grains in a rock

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See fabric defined for kids

Examples of fabric in a Sentence

The curtains are made of expensive fabric.
scarves made of woven fabrics
the fabric of the community

Recent Examples of fabric from the Web

This is not a problem for the Aegean Film Festival, which takes place every July in Patmos, a picturesque Greek island whose bohemian background is part of the festival’s fabric.

— ioannis pappos, Town & Country, "Is This the World's Most Glamorous Place to Watch Movies?," 10 July 2018
Some of the Corktown fabric closest to the river was lost to construction of the railroad tunnel under the Detroit River in the early 1900s.

— john gallagher, Detroit Free Press, "Here's what you might not know about Corktown's history," 9 July 2018
The curtains are of a custom fabric edged with pom-poms.

— zander abranowicz, ELLE Decor, "A Modern Take on Greek Island Living in Serifos," 2 July 2018
This is only part of the conjoining fabric West used to forge his backing of Trump, a man who many felt could never win the presidency.

— Fox News, "Kanye West details Trump support and dealing with scrutiny from friends and family," 25 June 2018
The Arjé wardrobe is built on the idea of a monochrome layered wardrobe, made from the highest quality of fabrics sourced in Italy and is true reflection of both mine and Oliver’s personal style.

— kerry pieri, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Ultimate Winning Piece Among the Founder of Arje's Winning Pieces," 21 June 2018
For Simpson, that has often meant dramatizing the ugliest parts of the social fabric by intentionally beautifying the people who bear its heaviest burdens.

— hannah giorgis, The Atlantic, "Lorna Simpson Maps the Complex Galaxies of Black Women’s Hair," 10 June 2018
Electrified fencing strung with strips of neon fabric, can keep wolves at bay in specific cases.

— kale williams, OregonLive.com, "As Oregon wolves rebound, tensions rise over livestock attacks," 10 June 2018
Birth control has become imperceptibly woven into the fabric of society, a prerequisite for modern life — as unremarkable and taken-for-granted as the rest of our most miraculous technological innovations.

— carolyn todd, Allure, "The History and Evolution of Birth Control in America," 12 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fabric.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of fabric

borrowed from Middle French & Medieval Latin; Middle French fabrique "act of construction, something created or constructed, the created world, structure, construction and maintenance of a church," borrowed from Medieval Latin fabrica, going back to Latin, "process of making something, craft, art, workshop," noun derivative from *fabricus "of a craftsman," from fabr-, faber "craftsman, smith" (perhaps going back to dialectal Indo-European *dhabh-r- —perhaps of non-Indo-European origin— whence also Armenian darbin "smith," from *dhabh-r-sneh₂) + -icus ¹-ic

Note: The Latin derivative fabrica may have been shortened from fabrica ars, perhaps literally "smith's craft, smith's place of work." The base *dhabh-r- has been compared with Gothic gadaban "to happen, be suitable" and a host of related words (see daft), though the semantic link is tenuous.

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year